Stay Tuned: ‘Will’ takes on Shakespeare’s lost years

Tuesday

Aug 1, 2017 at 11:24 AMAug 1, 2017 at 11:50 AM

Melissa Crawley More Content Now

TNT’s new drama, “Will,” explores Shakespeare’s life after he left his wife and three kids in Stratford-Upon-Avon in 1585 to seek fame and fortune in London’s theatre world. Nothing is known about him until 1592 when he appears again in the public record as a notable actor and playwright. Among Shakespeare scholars, there is little agreement about what happened during those 7 lost years so “Will” doesn’t have to worry about staying true to history. The result is a creative free for all that works, part of the time.

The action begins as Will (Laurie Davidson) says goodbye to his wife Anne, who isn’t a big fan of his dream. “Who would want a play by William Shakespeare?” she asks him in disbelief and frustration. It’s a line meant to call attention to itself and it’s not the only one. In the first two episodes, Will has a habit of coming up with phrases that he will use in future plays and scrambling to right them down. As a viewer, recognizing them is like a trivia game for those who care to play “guess the easy Shakespeare quote.”

Less bookish watchers may appreciate the production’s punk rock aesthetic. Upon his arrival, Will stumbles through the chaotic atmosphere of London’s streets as “London Calling” by the Clash plays. The soundtrack, along with extras wearing Elizabethan style dress accented with punk hair and makeup, is a way to say or rather scream: This Shakespeare is relevant. It’s fun and crazy and sort of works but by episode two, this visual tone takes a backseat to a religious/political storyline where Will, a Catholic, is trying to avoid Richard Topcliffe (Ewen Bremner), Queen Elizabeth’s head of Catholic persecution and a man who enjoys supervising torture. In a mustache-twirling-villain role, Bremner mostly comes across as cartoonish.

Will also finds himself in an uncertain relationship with Kit Marlowe (Jamie Campbell Bower), celebrity playwright and occasional spy for Topcliffe. Bower channels a mix of David Bowie and Mick Jagger to play Marlowe, who is both enamored and jealous of Will. It’s one of the more interesting performances, if a bit over the top.

Davidson, as Will, is intense and eager. He is best when he demonstrates Shakespeare’s charming way with words. In a tavern scene, Will participates in an “8 Mile” Eminem style rap battle and in another, his clever wordplay endears him to a no-nonsense proprietress when he is short on rent money. In a sweet goodbye to his son, he tells him about a fairy who climbs in boys’ ears and whispers stories. Together, the scenes are a nod to why Shakespeare is a master of language and importantly, off-set some of the more far-flung storylines like the one where he gets a job within hours of arriving in London and another where he writes some of his best work in a few short weeks.

Maybe “Will” is a version of the play that Shakespeare would have written about his early London theatre days. To wonder or not to wonder. That is the question. And maybe a reason to tune in.

“Will” is on Mondays at 11 p.m. EDT on TNT.

— Melissa Crawley is the author of “Mr. Sorkin Goes to Washington: Shaping the President on Television’s ‘The West Wing’” and the recently released “The American Television Critic.” She has a Ph.D. in media studies and is a member of the Television Critics Association. To comment on Stay Tuned, email her at staytuned@outlook.com or follow her on Twitter at @MelissaCrawley.

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